MADDEN NFL 2001 ARTICLES

August 11, 2008 - There are few videogame franchises with the staying -- and selling -- power as Electronic Arts' Madden NFL. Year after year, EA sells millions of copies of Madden across multiple platforms. This week's debut of Madden NFL 09 on everything from the Xbox 360 to the Nintendo DS is not likely to be any different, especially since EA has effectively buried all competition through aggressive licensing deals. Of course, creating a fine game of football that has won over a dedicated fan base certainly hasn't hurt either. But even though Madden is now absolutely synonymous with videogame football, it wasn't always the champ. Madden had to come up from nothing, finding hooks and smart marketing to establish its leadership position before then strongly defending it.

August 8, 2008 - Electronic Arts' Madden series is a dynasty greater than any in professional sports. In the two decades since its inception, the Madden series has helped build and destroy console empires. It outlasted the rise and fall of SEGA's hardware in America, and contributed to both. It was key in boosting EA from a small independent developer to an international publishing giant. Simply put, the Madden series is the most powerful franchise on the continent.
The name Madden has now come to mean so much more than just a Hall of Fame coach and commentator. It's practically synonymous with video game football. Brands like this aren't simply bought and licensed; they're built and fiercely defended. As the Madden series turns 20, we take a look back at how EA took on all comers to create the highest grossing series North America has ever seen.

August 6, 2008 - Last week, we went through the annals of Madden history and found the 10 Worst Quarterbacks in Madden History, a list that no quarterback would ever want to find himself on. Alas, Wally Richardson and company now likely will beat us up if they ever recognize us in public.

August 1, 2008 - Yesterday, we detailed the Ten Worst Quarterbacks in Madden History, so it's only natural that today, we follow up that piece by looking at the ten worst teams in the history of the franchise. Of course, as hard it is to rate individual players in a game, using those players to formulate ratings for teams is even more difficult guesswork: Keep in mind that the lowest-rated teams in Madden '08 were the Vikings and Titans, and they went a combined 18-14 when the real action started.

July 31, 2008 - The quarterbacks of today have grown up playing one game their entire lives: Madden. From their earliest days as Pop Warner football players, they've dreamt about finding a triple-covered receiver in the last minute of the Super Bowl to either set off a pixellated celebration, get a Madden Card, or 30 Achievement Points.

July 23, 2008 - One of the complaints that gamers have regarding the Madden franchise, whether they're fans of it or not, is that the game "...is just a roster update" and never has any new features. Whether that's true or not is another debate that's largely semantic, but something that we can look at and actually analyze is how successful the features implemented in each year's version of Madden actually are. Do the new features introduced in Madden actually stick around? How often do they get retooled? By starting back at the initial release of John Madden Football for the Sega Genesis and SNES in 1990, we can actually see if the game's newest features become established hits or epic failures.

March 10, 2008 - Brett Favre's retirement last week brought to an end the career of one of pro football's living legends -- a man who, in the eyes of many, could do no wrong. Few football fanbases are more insular and appreciative than Green Bay (logical considering the fans actually own the Packers), and for the denizens of Lambeau, Favre was a man who they trusted implicitly.

June 14, 2007 - Seeing a beloved franchise crumble into a defunct mishmash of horrid ideas and misconstrued concepts seems to happen all too often in this day and age of money grabbing bottom-liners. A great game is relatively easy to create in comparison to what it takes to sustain that greatness throughout an entire series. Some franchises are great at keeping a high level of quality, whereas others take a swan dive into the shallow end of the pool. It might not be so bad when a company makes a one-hit-wonder that then flops, but when a series has been in our hearts for generations of systems and then takes an incredible downturn in quality, that's when we have to turn our hateful gaze to the publishers responsible.
We're usually not in the business of calling people out for shoddy development jobs, but in some cases, an exception must be made. In this article we'll detail some of our most beloved series that have taken a grave turn for the worse, and then tell you how future installments can right the ship. And yes, not even Electronic Arts will be spared this time around.

February 14, 2006 - Dearest IGN readers, happy Valentine's Day.
For our Tuesday Top 10, we'll skip the foreplay.
Without further ado, enjoy these famous romances.
Then meet with a friend, and take off your, um, pantses.

April 7, 2001 - Welcome to IGN.com's head-to-head comparison of this year's two hottest football titles, EA Sport's Madden NFL 2001 for PlayStation 2 and Visual Concepts' NFL2K1 for the Sega Dreamcast. The reviewable versions of both titles have checked in, and now IGNPS2's "Dancin'" Dave Zdyrko and IGNDC's Brandon "Maximum Trashtalk¿" Justice have taken to the field. Let's go down to our useless female reporter to get the full scoop.

November 15, 2000 - IGN Guides has stepped up under center with the most comprehensive online Madden 2001 guide out there. Full strategies for every NFL and NFL Europe team are included. Learn each team's strengths and weaknesses, key players and money plays. Check out the full rosters and stats lists for Classic and All-Star teams. Peruse the detailed game mode and play set descriptions. Or check out the full Madden Card list... No matter what you're looking for, we've got you covered like Prime Time.
Click here to jump to the Complete Madden NFL 2001 Strategy Guide